Up until the Tel Dan Stele discovery, critics of the Bible used the lack of finding any archaeological evidence referring to King David of the Old Testament as proof that the Bible is full of fictional characters and stories.
Their reasoning, David is one of the central figures of the Old Testament. Because of his many battles against the countries of his day, his name should be found in the many ancient inscriptions being discovered. Up until 1993, there were no discoveries made providing evidence of David ever existing outside the pages of the Bible.
The Tel Dan Stele Discovery
During 1993-1994 excavations in Tel Dan, which is located in northern Israel, a discovery made by Avraham Biran once again silenced another argument from the critics. Found on a piece of broken stone called the Tel Dan Stele is writing referring to an Aramean king’s victory over the king of Israel and the king of the “House of David.” This reference was the first time David’s name had been found outside of the Bible.
Bible References To The House Of David
(1 Samuel 20:16) So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, “May the Lord call David’s enemies to account.”
(2 Samuel 3:1) The war between the house of Saul and the house of David lasted a long time. David grew stronger and stronger, while the house of Saul grew weaker and weaker.
(Luke 2:4) So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David.
In addition to the above scriptures, the term “House of David” can be found numerous other times in the Bible. It refers to the family lineage and descendants of David. The Arameans were well aware of the term.
David Wasn’t Fiction After All
The Tel Dan Stele is dated to the 9th century BC. This is more than a hundred years after the death of David. The king in this stone writing was still referring to his win as a victory over the “House of David.” This is the case, even though David had been dead for many years. It sounds like David was a lot more than just a fictional character after all.
